Lake 5 West Clubhouse / GBBN

Lake 5 West Clubhouse / GBBN - Exterior Photography, FacadeLake 5 West Clubhouse / GBBN - Exterior Photography, FacadeLake 5 West Clubhouse / GBBN - Exterior Photography, FacadeLake 5 West Clubhouse / GBBN - Interior PhotographyLake 5 West Clubhouse / GBBN - More Images+ 16

More SpecsLess Specs
Lake 5 West Clubhouse / GBBN - Exterior Photography, Facade
© Zhen Jia Yao

Text description provided by the architects. Sometimes it’s what’s on the outside that counts. The Lake West 5 Community Clubhouse renovation’s thoughtful façade work has transformed a building that was otherwise unremarkable, except for the way in turned its back on the public.

Lake 5 West Clubhouse / GBBN - Image 19 of 21
Ground Floor Plan

In the heart Tianjin’s urban core, a car dealership that once greeted pedestrians with a blank, 220-foot Peugeot blue, corrugated metal wall, has become a pedestrian entrance and clubhouse for a new urban residential community to its north. Located between one of Tianjin’s main arterial roads and the new residential development, the 20-year-old car dealership has been transformed to act as a bridge between the busy city artery and a new, urban housing development.

Lake 5 West Clubhouse / GBBN - Exterior Photography, Facade, Glass
© Zhen Jia Yao

By segmenting the existing building and using multiple types of glass to play with different degrees of visibility, the design anticipates the two phases of the building’s new life. At present, its glass bays host prospective condo buyers as a showroom, giving them a taste of the design of the residences that are being constructed behind the building. In the future, these will host retail, restaurants, a food court, and other public amenities, while the central lobby will act as a foyer that future residents will pass through on their way to apartments beyond. Extending Tianjin’s urban fabric into what was once a closed box, the Lake West 5 Clubhouse creates a vibrant, new public space that invites passersby to come enjoy. At the same time, the more opaque, upper portions of the facade will deliver the privacy desired by the development’s future residents.

Lake 5 West Clubhouse / GBBN - Interior Photography
© Zhen Jia Yao

With a new skin, what was once a closed, blue box is transformed by transparent, glass curtain walls on top of which sit giant blocks of illuminated, translucent glass. Working with the interior designer, a linear skylight is integrated with the design of the curved drop ceiling. The new channel glass blocks segment the building, allowing pedestrians to experience it at a friendlier, human scale. A delicate, metal screen acts like a curtain as it curves inward across the middle third of the building, inviting the public into its central lobby. These transformations of the skin elevate the perception of the original building—previously, an impenetrable, city block-long box—making it a naturally-lit refuge for pedestrians amidst Tianjin’s busy city center.

Lake 5 West Clubhouse / GBBN - Image 17 of 21
Section

In collaboration with the landscape architect, the original linear front court has been transformed to facilitate both pedestrian access and vehicular circulation with visitor parking. A set of translucent landscape walls and covered walkway lead pedestrians through a ‘saikei’-garden with a reflective water feature as they transition from the fast-paced urban environment outside the site to the community spaces within.

Lake 5 West Clubhouse / GBBN - Exterior Photography, Facade
© Zhen Jia Yao

Project gallery

See allShow less

Project location

Address:Tian jin, Tianjin, China

Click to open map
Location to be used only as a reference. It could indicate city/country but not exact address.
About this office
Cite: "Lake 5 West Clubhouse / GBBN" 07 Oct 2020. ArchDaily. Accessed . <https://www.archdaily.com/949028/lake-5-west-clubhouse-gbbn> ISSN 0719-8884

You've started following your first account!

Did you know?

You'll now receive updates based on what you follow! Personalize your stream and start following your favorite authors, offices and users.